Harden 50 points in triple double

[biggunsbob]

Nice game. 50 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds.

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071097

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

I don't think I'm ever going to get over that OKC drafted 3 MVPs in back to back to back years, and are going to end up with no championships to show for it. How can you be THAT good at drafting (they also got Ibaka in the 20s), and THAT bad with money management? Who in their right mind trades a guy with superstar skills (even though they were playing him as a 6th man with starter minutes) just to duck the luxury tax for a couple years?

Oh, what could have been...

 

[biggunsbob]

I don't think I'm ever going to get over that OKC drafted 3 MVPs in back to back to back years, and are going to end up with no championships to show for it. How can you be THAT good at drafting (they also got Ibaka in the 20s), and THAT bad with money management? Who in their right mind trades a guy with superstar skills (even though they were playing him as a 6th man with starter minutes) just to duck the luxury tax for a couple years?

Oh, what could have been...

Right . Man I never think of that. Great point. Okc man Harden, Westbrook, and Durant!
Wow !!!

Sort of how the tigers blew it all those years with Verlander and bunch even though Verlander was the only draft pick of note lol..Man those are some great drafts. Hey Svg! Wtf happened lol ! Maybe the new management in Detroit will do better hopefully.

 

[biggunsbob]

Lakers find out what other teams find out. You can’t come within 2 feet of Harden lol. I remember watching that pistons vs the Rockets and thinking wtf is a foul !


https://es.pn/2PBxgLR

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

There was a really good article about Harden drawing fouls recently. Actually came out after one of our games: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25410888/nba-james-harden-foul-drawing-mastery-unstoppable

I have no illusions that he doesn't flop, but he's also just really friggin good at what he does. It may not be the prettiest, all those free throws, but it's hard to argue he's not the smartest player on the floor.

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

Right . Man I never think of that. Great point. Okc man Harden, Westbrook, and Durant!
Wow !!!

Sort of how the tigers blew it all those years with Verlander and bunch even though Verlander was the only draft pick of note lol..Man those are some great drafts. Hey Svg! Wtf happened lol ! Maybe the new management in Detroit will do better hopefully.

Outside of Verlander, who was a no-brainer, have the Tigers actually been that good at drafting? I can't fault them too much because baseball is so random. They were probably the best team in the league at least a couple times, but that hardly means anything in baseball. The best team doesn't win the whole thing most of the time.

And the Pistons have been so weird. Joe was generally a really good drafter, but one of the worst in free agency and trades. SVG comes in and is a really good coach, but a bad drafter and equally bad in free agency/trades (I seriously don't get why an owner ever thought he would be a good GM). I'm hoping for better now, but who knows. Given our cap situation, it would be nice to have a Joe-type GM who might get a gem or two in the draft (and who is too hamstrung with unmovable contracts to play in free agency or trades).

 

[tomdalton22]

I don't think I'm ever going to get over that OKC drafted 3 MVPs in back to back to back years, and are going to end up with no championships to show for it. How can you be THAT good at drafting (they also got Ibaka in the 20s), and THAT bad with money management? Who in their right mind trades a guy with superstar skills (even though they were playing him as a 6th man with starter minutes) just to duck the luxury tax for a couple years?

Oh, what could have been...

OKC already signed Westbrook and Durant to huge contracts. They had offered him several extensions that he declined (probably weren't max). They had no choice but to trade him or he was going to leave and they weren't going to get anything.

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

OKC already signed Westbrook and Durant to huge contracts. They had offered him several extensions that he declined (probably weren't max). They had no choice but to trade him or he was going to leave and they weren't going to get anything.

They never offered him the max, which is what he was worth. They were trying to pit him (and his contract) against Ibaka. This wasn't a no-choice situation, this was them lowballing him even after he went out of his way to do everything they asked (coming off the bench, deferring shots, playing two positions). They could have easily fit him by trading Ibaka instead (already the smarter choice). They could have easily just paid him AND Ibaka and still have been under the tax for another year. They could have ducked the tax by dumping Perkins (who was vastly overrated).

Now sure, they didn't know the cap was about to spike making the old max almost nothing. But that didn't stop GS (who signed Klay and Draymond to max contracts right before the lockout). That hasn't stopped any other potential dynasties from paying up. Keep in mind that Harden was going into his 4th year when he was traded. He would have been a RFA even if they didn't get an extension worked out, and certainly would have matched any offer sheet on him. They traded him when he had no way out on his own, when all he wanted was the max he deserved.

 

[tomdalton22]

They never offered him the max, which is what he was worth. They were trying to pit him (and his contract) against Ibaka. This wasn't a no-choice situation, this was them lowballing him even after he went out of his way to do everything they asked (coming off the bench, deferring shots, playing two positions). They could have easily fit him by trading Ibaka instead (already the smarter choice). They could have easily just paid him AND Ibaka and still have been under the tax for another year. They could have ducked the tax by dumping Perkins (who was vastly overrated).

Now sure, they didn't know the cap was about to spike making the old max almost nothing. But that didn't stop GS (who signed Klay and Draymond to max contracts right before the lockout). That hasn't stopped any other potential dynasties from paying up. Keep in mind that Harden was going into his 4th year when he was traded. He would have been a RFA even if they didn't get an extension worked out, and certainly would have matched any offer sheet on him. They traded him when he had no way out on his own, when all he wanted was the max he deserved.

did he really deserve a max contract after year 3? He didn's start but played starter minutes. He averaged 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.

At least they got a good return for him. Better than they got for KD

 

[everyoneneedsasmil]

did he really deserve a max contract after year 3? He didn's start but played starter minutes. He averaged 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.

At least they got a good return for him. Better than they got for KD

17-4-4 as a 22 year old SG who was extremely efficient, was already drawing fouls at a crazy rate, and who was statistically a huge plus to team offense. We've seen several guys get maxxed having done less. His numbers were also trending up, and he would have been expected to be even better through the course of his next contract. Also, it's hard to even ask that question of whether he really deserved the max when it took about 12 hours for another team to trade for him and immediately offer the supermax (pending him hitting the milestones needed).

Although yes, they did get a pretty good return overall. Martin was a good fit between KD and Russ as a shooter who didn't need the ball in his hands. And ultimately they turned the Raptors lottery pick into Steven Adams (another great pick). But it still doesn't change that they dumped a young star for a draft pick (Martin was always just a stop-gap).

The KD situation was it's own thing, but you also have to wonder. If OKC had kept Harden, would they have won a championship by that point? Would they be the Western dynasty that GS is now? Would GS have ever been able to fully emerge if a dominant OKC was at the top warping the league like GS is now? Would OKC have lost in the playoffs to GS with a hobbled Curry? KD may not have left at all if Harden was still on the team.